Understanding perennials

Did you know that a perennial is at death’s door when it is blooming? Neither did I. But it is the reason why you don’t want to plant one in full bloom. William Cullina makes perennials make sense in his book “Understanding Perennials” (Houghton Mifflin Harcourt). He explains for example, how perennials store energy late in the season before dormancy, use ALL of that energy to break dormancy and bloom, hover at a critical juncture near doom, then regain a fragile strength as they finish the season. Wow, and we’re dividing them like we can’t kill them.

Armed with this kind of smarts one sees their perennials differently. When they say to feed in fall, you get it. When they say buy after they’re blooming, you get it. When your favorite perennial doesn’t come back, you’ll know it’s your fault.

“Understanding Perennials” isn’t about planting your tall apricot iris in front of the smoke tree, it’s about stems, roots, divisions, stress, life, death, how plants communicate their needs and wants. It’s about really understanding the plant you play with. Oh yeah, and the book is funny in parts.

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